"...what do I tell them?"
Tell them the truth. Tell them facts that will enable them to secure their futures by achieving themselves what they want to. Tell them there were slaves. Tell them that there are entire peoples, multiple nations of peoples, who were named - and still are - slaves. That's why Slavs have that name to this day, because they were primary targets of the slave trade out of the Ottoman Empire, sold off on the Barbary Coast of Africa.
People that have no recollection of history are not forewarned against it. Does it make you feel like being a slave, just being owned and profiting masters, when you see Aunt Jemimas picture? God, I hope not. If it doesn't make you determined not to ever permit that to happen to you, or your nephews, and inspire you to work every day to be free and prosperous, I pity you.
Being a slave has given me great determination to never, ever be again captured by armed thugs. I will die free, one way or the other. History is real, and slavery was a part of it. Only knowing that history, as I do my own, enables society to learn from the mistakes our forebears committed, and to avoid them in the future.
Changing Aunt Jemima's picture will prevent that understanding, and could well prevent people from working as hard as they must to be free and prosperous. Pulling down statues is the opposite of what people intent on success should be doing. They should be protecting those proofs of slavery, proofs that our enemies are dangerous, and we should be taking our kids to field trips to see them, and examples of racism today that will convince them those threats are dangerous, and they need to be more dangerous than those threats.
Teach your nephews the truth: almost all black slaves were captured by their black neighbors, their enemies in cultures fractured and divided. Teach them people need to unify, not sell their neighbors into slavery. If they don't know what really happened how will they know not to let it happen?
Live well, prosper in freedom. You will not by pretending history didn't happen, that those lessons we can learn aren't the most valuable assets we have. You will by clutching that history to your heart, and letting it inspire you to never, ever, let it happen again.
I get what you are saying and coming from a place of respect.
I disagree: having field trip and learning about history is important, I agree.
But honouring the wrong part is what those images and statues do.
My nephes will learn a lot of history and read about it at their own convenience.
Having then see it where ever they turn is a historical assault and that's the way it should be seen by everyone.
Won't we still learn sexual reproduction?
That doesn't mean we should see penises and vaginas where ever we turn.
You are mistaken, and deprive your nephews of grasping that preserving that history isn't worshipping slavers. There remain them as do see your nephews as less than human, and this is why I cautioned you as to your language in my initial reply. That knowledge is essential to inspire our fight for freedom, for prosperity. Nothing so enables me to secure my freedom and wealth of community than knowing what my enemies will do to me if I am lax.
The enemies of freedom are dire indeed. Every bit of grasp of their nefarious purpose is necessary to overcome the obstacles to our success.
Slavery wasn't racist. It was inhumane. Misunderstanding of history causes misunderstanding of slavery, which makes such inhumanity burgeon. Seeking to divide humanity by race, as so many do on both sides of the debate, increases the threat of slavery and the power of overlords.
You will do as you see fit. I have given you my best advice in the hope it benefits you and yours. I hope you do not succumb to those that would divide humanity on any basis they can, whether nationality, religion, or race, because every division sets their prey against each other, and not against their oppressors. More than this I cannot do, as I am only responsible to speak the truth, not for whether it is believed.
You are responsible for your beliefs, and will succeed or fail as a result.
Edit: seeing penises and vaginas will not harm people of any age. When it is time for them to learn about the adult functions of their organs, is it wise to conceal the knowledge of rape from them? Knowing of it does not promote it, but knowing there are rapists, and people that celebrate rape, will certainly enable them to secure themselves from that horrible assault.
Failing to do so will leave them utterly vulnerable.
I understand you. I guess we just don't agree on certain aspects in life.
And what you are saying absolutely true. Fire can burn you and should be learnt about so you do not get burnt.
But the same heat that strengthens clay can melt plastic.
People are intrinsically who they are. We should encourage people to be who they are and give them a safe space to become who they can be.
Just because the heat has strengthened me doesn't mean I will choose to not understand that it has melted the plastic nor will I assume that the plastic is a lesser substance because it melts to heat.
If the plastic melts it can form something useful but first it will be destroyed. Must it go through the fire it is not ready?
I'm just airing my views. I hope you understand me.
I'm sure you do.
Thanks for this conversation it has been profitable to me. I'm sure you feel the same way too.